Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the largest city in New England (United States of America)|New England, the capital of the state of Massachusetts, and one of the most historic, wealthy and influential cities in the United States of America. Its plethora of museums, historical sights, and wealth of live performances, all explain why the city gets 16.3 million tourists a year, making it one of the ten most popular tourist locations in the country.[1]

Although not in Boston, Cambridge_(Massachusetts)|Cambridge (just across the Charles River, home to Harvard and MIT) is part of the larger urban area and an essential addition to any visit to Boston.

Understand

When to visit

New England is unpredictable and becomes moderately cold in the winter, as well as humid in the summer. Late May through late September, you'll be comfortable with no jacket or sweater.

When the heat does start, there are some beaches within the city, and many beaches outside of it, for swimming. The Standells classic Dirty Water doesn't apply any more as the water is safe to swim in thanks to the Boston Harbor Cleanup project.

Early summer tends to be nice, but you don't know when that will be year to year. In that time, the temperature will be perfect, and there will be no humidity. The remainder of summer tends to be very warm with uncomfortably high humidity. Walking, taking a cab, bus, or the T (short for MBTA, the public transit system, which is air-conditioned) are all good options for exploring the city.

Boston's fall foliage is at or near its peak beauty in mid-October, which also normally offers the advantage of many crisp sunny day (outside the city itself, peak foliage timing depends on how far north or south you venture from Boston.)

If you visit during the less busy wintertime, the Atlantic Ocean has a large moderating effect on temperatures. The average low in January is 22F, so as long as you dress appropriately, you should be fine.

History

Massachusetts' first governor, John Winthrop, famously called Boston a shining city on the hill, a reference to Jerusalem and a declaration of the original settlers' intent to build a utopian Christian colony. From the very beginning, the people who lived there declared their home to be one of the most important cities in the world. Considering that the American Revolution and modern democracy got it’s start thanks to Bostonians, and that Winthrop’s quote is still used in modern political speech, one could argue that they were right!

The father of American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes) once called the Boston statehouse the hub of the solar system, but common usage has expanded to the now-current Hub of the Universe. This half-serious term is all you need to know to understand Boston's complicated self-image. Vastly important in American history, and for centuries the seat of the USA's social elite, Boston lost prominence in the early twentieth century, largely to the cities of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Over the past two decades, Boston has regained political, cultural, and economic importance.

The city was founded in 1630 by members of the Massachusetts Bay colony, Puritan religious dissidents who had fled England to find freedom in the New World. Because of its easily-defended harbor and the fact that it is the closest port to Europe it rapidly assumed a leading role in the fledging New England (United States of America)|New England region, with a booming economy based on trade with the Caribbean and Europe. The devastating Fire of 1760 destroyed much of the town, but within a few years the city had bounced back.

Bostonians were the instigators of the independance movement in the 18th century and the city was the center of America's revolutionary activity during the Colonial period. Several of the first Revolutionary War skirmishes were fought there, including the Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, and the battles of Lexington and Concord -which were fought nearby. Boston's direct involvement in the Revolution ended after the Battle of Bunker Hill and, soon afterwards, the ending of the Siege of Boston by George Washington. For some time afterwards the city's political leaders continued to have a leading role in developing of the new country's system of government. The residents' ardent support of independence earned the city the nickname The Cradle of Liberty.

Throughout the 19th century, Boston continued to grow rapidly, assimilating outlying towns into the metropolitan core. Its importance in American culture was inestimable, and its economic and literary elite, the so-called Boston Brahmins assumed the mantle of aristocracy in the United States. Their patronage of the arts and progressive social ideals was unprecidented in the New World, and often conflicted with the city's Puritan foundations. They helped drive unprecedented scientific, educational and social change that would soon sweep the country. The Abolitionist movement, anesthesia and the telephone are a few examples of this.

Education was another area that was vitally important to the elites and citizenery in general. The first public school in America, Boston Latin, was founded in 1635. The oldest elementary school in America, the Mather School, opened in 1635. (Its current structure, built in 1905, is the oldest continuously-operated school building in America.) Harvard College in nearby Cambridge_(Massachusetts)|Cambridge became, and in many ways remains, America's premier center of learning. Boston was also the first city in America to adopt a public library.

At the same time, the city's working class swelled with immigrants from Europe. The huge Irish influx made Boston one of the most important Irish cities in the world, in or out of Ireland. Gradually the Irish laborer population climbed into city's upper class, evidenced no better than by the continued importance of the Kennedy family in national politics.

From the early twentieth century until the 1970s, Boston's importance on the national stage waned. Cities in what was once the frontier, like Chicago, San Francisco, and later Los Angeles, shifted the nation's center of gravity away from liberty's cradle. In the past two decades, Boston's importance and influence has increased, due to growth in higher education, health care, high technology, and financial services. It remains America's higher educational center; during the school year, one in five Bostonians is a university student. There are more college students per square foot in Boston than any other city in the Western Hemisphere.

Boston's nicknames include Beantown, The Hub (shortened from Oliver Wendell Holmes' phrase 'The Hub of the Universe'), The City of Higher Learning (due to the plethora of universities and colleges in the Boston area) and - particularly in the 19th century - The Athens of America, on account of its great cultural and intellectual influence. If you don't want to stand out as a tourist, don't refer to Boston by any of these nicknames. Locals generally don't use any of them.

Contact

Greater Boston uses 10-digit dialing. This means you need to include the area code whenever you are making a call. The standard area code is 617, but some phone numbers, especially cell phones, use the new 857 overlay.

Stay safe

Crime and other hazards in Boston are low for a major American city.

Some neighborhoods (Roxbury, Mattapan, and parts of Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Charlestown - all of which are off the main tourist path) are more dangerous than average, and extra care should be taken. Avoid walking in these areas at night if possible. Also avoid public parks after dark (unless there's a special event), especially the Fens.

As mentioned above, Boston area drivers are not known for their courtesy or consideration for others around them. Pedestrians should exercise considerable caution when crossing streets. The use of crosswalks is recommended.

Dial 911 from any telephone for emergency police, medical, and fire services.